Tobacco-feed belt for cigarette machines



June 28, 1932. A PODMORE 1,864,758

TOBACCO FEED BELT FOR CIGARETTE MACHINES Filed 001;. 28, 1950 1 i 4 I'll iiii VIII! iii: (Iii. r1114 will viii. VII: VIII] rim 0 INwOR 145 W $212,046

150 I A ORNEY Patented June 28, 1932 UNITED STATES ARTHUR PODMORE, 01? LONDON, ENGLAND, AssIGN on T0 AMERICAN MACHINE &

FOUNDRY GOMPANJY, A conronnrxon on NEW JERSEY ToBAcco-rnEn BELT ron :crennn'rrn mncnmns Application filed October as, 1930'. Serial no. 491,755.

will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a portion of the improved tobacco feed;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the carded belt.

In carrying the invention into efiect, there is provided a tobacco hopper, a feed drum 111 said hopper, a carded belt forming the floor of said hopper, spaced chains for driving the belt toward said feed drum, and connections between said belt and chains for supporting the belt on the pitch lines of the chains. In

the best constructions contemplated, said connections include brackets secured to the cross pins of said chains and cross bars secured to said brackets and carrying the'carded belt in the pitch lines of said chains. In the preferred form of the invention, said carded belt is formed of a plurality of longitudinally extending carded strips secured directly to said cross bars. These various means and parts may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the'same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the specific construction shown and described.

Referring to the drawing, the tobacco in the hopper 10 rests on the carded belt 148 which forms the floor of the hopperandis intermittently moved, ;as hereinafter vdescribed, in the'direction of the arrow shown in Fig. l. =The carded belt is formedo-f a series of longitudinally extending carded strips which are secured .directlytotthe cross bars 149 which are fixed to brackets hereinafter described carried .by thecross pinsof the transversely spaced chains 150- threaded lover .th'e sprockets 151:0nthe shafts l52 and 153 which are supported by the frames 154 and 155.. A crank 156 on the shaft 157, which is supported in the frames 154 and and providedwith a spiral gear 158, is operated byaspiral gear 159 on the shaft 160 meshing with the gear 158. The shaft 160 is driven from the main shaft byLany suitable means, not shown. A rod 164 connects the crank to a lever 165 which is pivoted on the shaftl'53 and provided with a pawl 166 engaging the ratchet 167 'to intermittently move the chains 150 and carded belt 148. 7

,The brackets 168 on the cross pins169 of the chains 150 have the cross-bars 149 secured thereto inside the :pit-ch line of the chains, so that the cross bars may support the carded belt on the pitch lines of the chains, as shown in Fig. 3, with the pitch line PL lying throughout its length in the median plane of the belt. By this construction, the path of the belt between the sprockets coincides with the pitch lines of the chains on their respective sprockets, thereby, avoiding the excessive stretching of the belt which would result if the belt were supported outside the pitch lines of the chains and the production of slack and wrinkles in the belt which.

would result if it were supported inside the pitch lines of the chains.

The tobacco is removed from the carded belt as it is fed to the feed drum 17 on the shaft 52 and carried from the feed drum to the cigarette machine by suitable means, not

a carded belt forming the floor of said hopper, transversely spaced chains for positively driving said belt toward the drum, and connections between said belt and chains for supporting the belt on the pitch lines of the chains.

2. In a cigarette machine feed, the combination with a hopper, of a feed drum therein, a carded belt forming the floor of said hopper, transversely spaced chains for positively driving said belt toward the drum, and connections between said belt and chains for sup-porting the belt on the pitch lines of the chains, said connections including cross bars carrying the belt and secured to the chains inside the pitch line thereof.

3. In a cigarette machine feed, the combination with a hopper, of a feed drum therein, a carded belt forming the floor of said hopper, transversely spaced chains for positively driving said belt toward the drum, and connections between said belt and chains for supporting the belt on the pitch lines of the chains, said connections including brackets secured to the cross pins of the chains, cross bars carrying the belt secured to said brackets. V

4. In a cigarette machine feed, the combination with a hopper, of tobacco feeding means therein, and a moving floor for said hopper comprising an endless series of cross bars laid close together having longitudinally extending carded strips secured directly to said cross bars, and means connected to said cross bars for driving the belt toward said feeding means.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ARTHUR PODMORE. 

